14 Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Biles says ‘mental health’ concerns led to Olympic final withdrawal TOKYO: Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles assessment to determine whether she can con- retain the all-around title, and had a realistic said “mental health” concerns had led to her tinue her Olympic campaign. chance of equaling Soviet gymnast Larisa withdrawal from the women’s team final at the “Simone has withdrawn from the team final Latynina’s record of nine Olympic gold medals. Tokyo Olympics yesterday. “I have to do what’s competition due to a medical issue,” the state- Prior to the Olympics, Biles revealed she had right for me and focus on my mental health and ment to AFP said. “She will be assessed daily battled depression after revealing she was not jeopardize my health and my wellbeing,” to determine medical clearance for future com- among the hundreds of gymnasts who had the 24-year-old American said after her team petitions.” Biles spent the remainder of the been sexually abused by former Olympic team were beaten by the Russian quartet in her competition enthusiastically cheering on her doctor Larry Nassar, who is now serving a life absence. teammates who took silver with the bronze prison sentence for his crimes. Biles exited the final at the Ariake going to Britain, their first medal in the event In a recent multi-part documentary series Gymnastics Center after a lackluster opening since 1928. posted on Facebook, Biles also revealed she vault and walked off the competition floor She said she had had faith in her teammates had been bothered by a right ankle problem before returning a short time later. The US team Grace McCallum, Jordan Chiles and Sunisa this year after landing awkwardly during train- immediately withdrew her from the rest of the Lee. Biles has qualified for all finals available to ing in May. “Right now, what we’re dealing final. After she joined her teammates to collect her in Tokyo but her performance in prelimi- with is I just have a lot of fluid built up in their silver medals, four-time Olympic champion nary rounds on Sunday had been littered with there,” Biles said during the episode. “There’s Biles confirmed she had not been injured. She uncharacteristic mistakes. nothing we can do at this point. We don’t have said: “I just don’t trust myself as much as I used In a candid Instagram post on Monday the time for rest, we don’t have time for shots and to, and I don’t know if it’s age. I’m a little bit 24-year-old said she was feeling the pressure all of that stuff, so tape it is.” The US team, more nervous when I do gymnastics.” during Sunday’s qualifying. “I truly do feel like I clearly unbalanced by the drama surrounding “I feel like I’m also not having as much fun, have the weight of the world on my shoulders their talismanic leader rated by many as the TOKYO: USA’s Simone Biles gestures during the artistic gymnastics women’s and I know that this Olympic Games, I wanted at times,” Biles wrote. “I know I brush it off and greatest gymnast of all time, were foiled in team final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Ariake Gymnastics it to be for myself,” she said, as she began to make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but their bid for a third straight Olympic title after Center in Tokyo yesterday. —AFP cry. “It just sucks that it happens here at the damn sometimes it’s hard...the Olympics is no wins in London and Rio. Olympics Games... with the year that it’s been, joke!” If Biles is unable to continue in Tokyo, it With Biles watching on, the Americans I’m really not surprised the way it played out.” would mark a stunning turn of events at a approached the concluding floor exercise less who under the Soviet era dominated this event 164.096. Led by Angelina Melnikova, the A statement from USA Gymnastics said earlier Games she had been strongly expected to than a point behind the Russians. But when from 1952 to 1980 winning eight straight Russians emulated their men’s team who won that Biles was suffering from an unspecified dominate. She had been bidding to become the Jordan Chiles failed to win the judges’ approval Olympic titles, prevailed with a total of 169.528. gold 24 hours earlier - the first time in Olympic “medical issue” and would now face daily first woman in more than half a century to with her performance it was all over. Russia, The US scored on 166.096 and Britain had history one country has won both titles. —AFP her eight-week hiatus, Osaka made a dreadful start under Osaka says painful the center court roof at a rain-hit Ariake Tennis Park and home Olympic never recovered. Duplantis aims to ‘Pressure’ She dropped serve five times against the 42nd-ranked deliver on Olympic defeat ‘sucks’ Vondrousova, who will face Spain’s Paula Badosa in the quarter-finals. “I’ve taken long breaks before and I’ve man- aged to do well,” Osaka said. “I’m not saying that I did bad ‘childhood dream’ TOKYO: Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka conceded the right now, but I do know that my expectations were a lot pressure of trying to win an Olympic gold at home was a “bit higher. I feel like my attitude wasn’t that great because I TOKYO: Armand Duplantis has firmly established himself much” after a 6-1, 6-4 defeat to Marketa Vondrousova end- don’t really know how to cope with that pressure so that’s as one of the stars of track and field and is adamant noth- ed her title dreams yesterday. the best that I could have done in this situation.” ing will stand in his way when he takes to the pole vault Osaka, who lit the Olympic cauldron and was one of the Vondrousova, the 2019 French Open runner-up, called it runway at the Tokyo Olympics. It is easy to forget that the faces of the Games, struggled in an error-strewn display that “one of the biggest wins of my career”. Ukrainian fourth Swede, who describes being at the Olympics as a “child- blew the draw wide open after the earlier exits of world seed Elina Svitolina, the highest-ranked women’s player left hood dream”, is still just 21, after a career-changing year number one Ashleigh Barty and third seed Aryna Sabalenka. in the competition, recovered to defeat Greece’s Maria in which he has re-written the record books. “How disappointed am I? I mean, I’m disappointed in Sakkari 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. In 2020, despite a season ravaged by the COVID-19 every loss, but I feel like this one sucks more than the oth- Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova, seeded fifth, pandemic, Duplantis set a sensational world record of ers,” said the four-time Grand Slam winner. Asked what went slumped to a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Italy’s Camila Giorgi. There 6.18m indoors before vaulting 6.15m outdoors, finally wrong, she replied: “Everything — if you watch the match were also third-round wins for Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic eclipsing the 1994 mark set by all-time great Sergey then you would probably see. I feel like there’s a lot of things and Garbine Muguruza while Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Bubka. Heading to Japan, Duplantis says he feels in good that I counted on that I couldn’t rely on today.” ended the run of Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo, who dumped shape, though he concedes a new world record would be The third-round defeat follows a turbulent few months Barty out in round one. secondary to winning. “I don’t have any complaint, I feel for Osaka, who abandoned her French Open campaign in Earlier, men’s third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to I’m in the position I wanted to be, the shape is coming May after refusing to attend press conferences, citing the the third round as he avenged last month’s Wimbledon loss nicely,” said the vaulter known as “Mondo”. “I’m ready to need to preserve her mental health. to Frances Tiafoe, winning 6-3, 6-4. Kei Nishikori will now go and do what I want to do.” Osaka also skipped Wimbledon, saying she had been single-handedly take on the challenge of becoming Japan’s One would have expected the 68,000-capacity battling depression and anxiety, before returning in Tokyo first Olympic tennis champion after Osaka’s exit. The 2016 Olympic stadium to have been filled to the brim for the for her first Olympics, including her starring role at the bronze medalist overcame a second-set wobble to defeat athletics, but fans have been banned as part of Japan’s opening ceremony. But ultimately the sky-high expectations American Marcos Giron 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-1. Former world fight against coronavirus. “It’s unfortunate. Of course I’d placed on the world’s highest-paid female athlete proved number four Nishikori could be a quarter-final opponent for TOKYO: Japan’s Naomi Osaka leaves the court after love a packed stadium, that would be more exciting, but it tough to handle. Novak Djokovic, who resumes his quest for gold against being beaten by Czech Republic’s Marketa is what it is,” said Duplantis, who divides his time between “I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this.